The Government minister in charge of the Big Society initiative has praised the effect Mitzvah Day has on society.

Nick Hurd, the minister for civil society and MP for Northwood, Ruislip and Pinner, will join Rabbi Hillel Athias-Robles and other representatives from Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, as well as from the local Hindu community, on November 21 to deliver toys and books to Jake's Place, the Children's Ward at nearby Northwick Park hospital. The project is among thousands to take place on the fifth annual day of social action.

Gary Hersham, 57, managing director of the Mayfair-based Beauchamp Estates has taken over from Michael Crystal QC, who has stepped down after four years in office.

Mr Hersham, a member of Western Marble Arch Synagogue, said: "I believe strongly in the work of the university and their research programmes in particular will have dramatic consequences for good and for helping mankind.

Less than 50 per cent of young people feel those over the age of 70 are important to society, a report by Jewish Care has shown.

The charity fears the results are a sign that organisations working with older people will find it increasingly difficult to recruit volunteers and funds.

An Ipsos Mori poll, commissioned by Jewish Care, found that 53 per cent of those under the age of 35 had not spent quality time with anybody over the age of 70 in the last six months or more, and that 15 per cent of 16-24-year-olds said they could only learn "a little" from older people.

This bijoux hotel, located in a quiet courtyard, has been given a lobby-to-loft boutique makeover by new owners, Campbell Grey. Close to St James's Palace and Piccadilly, and many of the capital's other attractions, the hotel was built in 1908.

Following refurbish-ment and renovation, and hidden behind a facade festooned with floral hanging baskets, it fields 90 rooms and suites, 24-hour gym, treatment and steam rooms and restaurant.

Kosher food firm Osem has been told to pay around £27,000 after failing to recycle waste for nearly 10 years.

Osem UK Ltd - whose products include instant soups, dips, cakes and frozen meats - pleaded guilty at Basildon Magistrates' Court on Monday to failing to register with the Environment Agency as a producer of packaging waste and failing to meet its requirements to recover and recycle packaging waste between 1998 and 2007.

The company, based in Essex, was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £2,819 in costs and £8,372 in compensation to the Environment Agency.

A customer at discount members' warehouse Costco was enraged at finding pork pâté and other non-kosher meat in a kosher freezer.

David Elias, 79, from Gants Hill, spotted the treif items in the Chingford branch. "I pointed this out to a member of staff and the assistant manager, who was less than interested," he claimed. "I feel this matter should be brought to the attention of the Jewish community at large so they are vigilant when they shop at Costco."

A Costco spokeswoman said: "It would appear that the offending meat item was left on top of the kosher cabinet by a member.

A mourner has spoken of her shock at the state of Edgwarebury Lane Cemetery after visiting her granddaughter's grave.

Fiona Siegal went to the cemetery last week to visit the grave of her granddaughter who passed away four years ago, aged four.

"I was shocked to see how run down and neglected the whole place has been allowed to become," she said.

"The graves were overgrown with weeds and no effort had been made to tidy up paths and spaces between lines of gravestones. The earth was bumpy and uneven and it was difficult to reach the graveside because of this.

Ed Miliband, the new Labour leader, has given his support to faith schools, calling them “fantastic”.

During an interview on Radio 5 Live this morning, he said: “Some faith schools – in fact many faith schools – do a fantastic job in our society and many of them also, people don’t often realise, take people from different backgrounds.

“I want good education in this country so I’m not going to slag off faith schools. It’s important for people of different backgrounds and faiths to go to school together and many faith schools do that.”